Housing Act Reforms – Help for Landlords

Have you ever considered the idea of renting out a property but then been put off by the horror stories of disruptive tenants and the miles of red tape when it comes to evicting them? Fear not as there is help at hand! Having a comprehensive and reliable insurance policy provides cover for many of the issues that landlords face and companies like Just Landlords offer just that. With a trustworthy insurance policy behind you, the journey to successful renting seems all the more achievable. But what else is available to help landlords cope with the common challenges of the rental market? Here are a few examples.

Eviction Notices

You don’t have to put up with disruptive tenants in your property with the section 8 and section 21 notices for eviction. If a tenant has a shorthold tenancy, these two types of notice are available and can be used for a variety of situations. If the terms of the tenancy have been broken, with specific reasons the Section 8 notice can be used to evict the tenants causing the problem. If a change in circumstances means that you want to use the property again for yourself, or even sell on, then a Section 21 notice can be used without the need for any reason or fault. Let’s consider  the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Section 21

A Section 21 serves the tenant notice of an upcoming eviction without the need to specify a reason, hence why it is also known as a “no fault” eviction. To ensure you don’t become guilty of harassment, there are guidelines that you need to follow. This notice requires a notice period of at least two months and if the tenants stay beyond the specified eviction date, there may be a fee if you apply for an accelerated possession order.  Additionally, as the government recently announced the imminent end of the section 21 notice, there isn’t a great deal of time left for landlords to rely on this. The existence of this section creates an uneasy, insecure rental environment for tenants, therefore in an effort to end unjust evictions, this section is on the way out. So what other options do you have?

Section 8

When the terms of a tenancy are broken, you get another option. If your property is being damaged, if the tenant has breached the conditions of the tenancy policy, this is when a section 8 notice can come into play. Like the section 21 notice, a two month notice period is required, as well as specific details on the breaches of the terms. When it comes to serious breaches, such as anti-social behaviour, the notice period can be reduced to just four weeks for a periodic tenancy and one month for a fixed-term tenancy.

What options will there be moving forward?

In line with the governments goal to end unfair evictions, there has been a proposal to combine the flexibility of the section 21 process with the tenant security of a section 8. Under this proposed notice, landlords will be able to regain their property for their own personal use without the breach of the tenancy policy. Moreover, a reform has been suggested when it comes to the legal process of handling housing cases so that landlords can regain their property quicker, with a a simpler, swifter process.

With these changes on the horizon, now is the time to jump into the rental market! With confidence in the legal support of the housing sections, along with the safety net of insurance policies, you’ve got nothing to fear!